Spelling Review for Police Officer Exam Study Guide

Using Spelling Lists

Some test makers will give you a list of words to study before you take the test. If you have a list to work with, here are some suggestions.

• Divide the list into groups of three, five, or seven words to study. Consider making flash cards of the words you don't know.
• Highlight or circle the tricky elements in each word.
• Cross out or discard any words that you already know for certain. Don't let them get in the way of the ones you need to study.
• Say the words as you read them. Spell them out loud or in your mind so you can hear the spelling.

Here's a sample spelling list. These words are typical of the words that appear on exams. If you are not given a list by the agency that's testing you, study this one.

How to Answer Spelling Questions

• Sound out the word in your mind. Remember that long vowels inside words usually are followed by single consonants: sofa, total, crime. Short vowels inside words usually are followed by double consonants: dribble, scissors, toddler.
• Give yourself auditory (listening) clues when you learn words. Say Wed-nes-day or lis-ten or bus-iness to yourself so that you remember to add the letters you do not hear.
• Look at each part of a word. See if there is a root, prefix, or suffix that will always be spelled the same way. For example, in uninhabitable, un-, in-, and -able are always spelled the same. What's left is habit, a self-contained root word that's pretty easy to spell.

Spelling Sample Questions

To answer questions 1–6, choose the correct spelling of the word that fits in the blank.

1. Office Solis purchased a new car and learned that her ________ is more expensive than for her old car.
   1. insurance
   2. assurance
   3. insurence
   4. insurrence
2. We will ________ go to the movies tonight.
   1. probly
   2. probebly
   3. probably
   4. none of the above
3. After returning from leave, Sergeant Abu said he felt ________.
   1. terriffic
   2. teriffic
   3. terrific
   4. tarrific
4. We sharpshooters had the greatest number of ________ target shots.
   1. accurate
   2. acurate
   3. accuret
   4. accurit
5. Because we work in a large city, we must learn how to ________ park our vehicles.
   1. parrellel
   2. parellel
   3. paralel
   4. parallel
6. Our academy instructors warned us not to use ________ force.
   1. exessive
   2. eksessive
   3. excessive
   4. exccessive

Answers

1. a.
2. c.
3. c.
4. a.
5. d.
6. c.

Ways To Improve Your Spelling

• Learn groups of synonyms for words.
• Learn new words in context.
• Memorize common word roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Create and use flashcards regularly.